


"I can never go home"

by Descended_from_Hufflepuffs



Series: Carry on my (Prodigal) Son [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Adam is a Winchester, Angst, Dean is a helicopter brother, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Inspired by Prodigal Son, Serial Killer John Winchester
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:14:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28279728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Descended_from_Hufflepuffs/pseuds/Descended_from_Hufflepuffs
Summary: Sam Wesson is back in action with the NYPD on a serious case involving a copycat of the notorious Hunter. Sam wants to solve this case and save lives but what will that cost him?
Relationships: Adam Milligan & Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester, Bobby Singer & Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester, John Winchester & Sam Winchester
Series: Carry on my (Prodigal) Son [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2060895
Comments: 7
Kudos: 7





	1. Duty Calls

Sam sipped on his coffee while Adam went on about his latest work drama. Adam was the bastard child of one John Winchester, conceived about six years after the tragic loss of Mary Campell. The mother threatened John with blackmail; he offered to take the child instead. Ever since, he’d become an irreplaceable part of the Winchester household.

“Anyway, the whole thing was such a mess I’m shocked they were even able to be on camera together.” Adam chuckled and took a large gulp of his coffee. “So, what’s up with you? You’ve been back for two days and Dean’s barely said a word to me about it.”

Sam shrugged. “He’s asked me to help with his charity work. And he’s also given me permission to help on any police investigations Bobby might draw me into.”

“And he thinks they will?”

“Apparently they’re on speaking terms again.”

Adam shook his head. “That’s not right. Unless he was trying to jump ahead on the recent murders and convince Bobby  _ not _ to call you, in which case it makes perfect sense.”

Sam snorted. “Yeah, sounds like Dean. Pulling the strings of my personal life behind my back.”

“Hey, he does it because he cares.” Adam nudged him in the side. “Gotta say, one good thing about having you back is he’s backed off of me. I swear, as soon as you left, it was like a switch flipped in his head and he remembered I existed.”

“Adam-”

“I know, I know, he still loves me, he was just worried about you. I get it. I just...I wish he knew how to act in moderation. It feels like he’s only ever ignored me or watched me like a hawk.”

Sam shrugged again. “That’s just his way of dealing with things. Before everything happened, he was an average self-centered kid. Then John was arrested and you know how the media is about that; he took on a lot of responsibility.”

Adam nodded, finishing off his coffee. “I know. I mean, I was only four when it all went down so I don’t remember a lot but...I remember you telling me everything was gonna be okay. They shared a small smile before Adam’s phone buzzed. “Hang on, that’s probably work.”

“Oh? More murder or something more mundane?”

Adam swiped quickly on his phone and smiled a little. “Can’t divulge exclusive information but I have to run. If I hurry, we can get an exclusive!”

Sam waved as his younger brother sprinted away, startling when his own phone started ringing. “Hello?”

“Sam?”

“Bobby?”

“There you are. I heard you were back in the city but I wasn’t sure if you’d be available to talk.”

Sam smiled hearing the voice of his surrogate father figure. “Oh? Did Dean try to scare you off?”

“You know he did. I’m pretty sure if he thought he had the power to do so, he’d knock down my whole precinct and build an animal shelter to stop me from calling you.”

“Sounds like him. Let me guess, this has something to do with the recent murders. Dean mentioned something about a possible copycat?”

“I’m surprised he told you that much.”

“You know me and my puppy-eyes. Irresistible,” he joked, taking another sip of coffee. “So, do you want me to come to the crime scene now?”

“What makes you think there’s a crime scene?”

“Adam just got a call, told me he couldn’t tell me what it was for, and ran off for an exclusive. The only reason he’d need to hurry is if it was part of a big story, especially if there would be hubbub around it to hype up the watcher at home and if it wasn’t murder, he probably would’ve told me everything that I didn’t want to know about it. I know my brother.”

“I’ll send you the address. Meet me outside the front door and I’ll introduce you to my team.”   
  


“See you there.” They hung up and Sam downed the rest of his coffee. He’d only been off of work for a week and he was already itching to be back on a case. If this really was a copycat of the Hunter, maybe it could finally lead him to some answers. He just needed to stay away from John.

He couldn’t go back there. 

Never again.


	2. Meet the Team

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *drops new chapter and scurries back under my Writing Rock*

Sam got a taxi to the crime scene and smiled when he saw Bobby waiting outside for him. It had been a few years since they properly saw each other (Dean had basically forbidden their contact after a nasty argument). 

"There you are, kid. I missed you," Bobby greeted him with a hug. "You're looking...alright."

Sam shrugged. "Between the insomnia and lack of appetite, I'd say I'm doing alright. Now about this case…."

Bobby nodded and led him inside. "We're keeping it as discreet as we can given the popularity of our victim but the M.O. matches two other kills we've gotten in the last month."

"And I suppose Dr. Winchester still has an airtight alibi?"

"You think Dean would keep you and your brother in the city if he didn't? No, definitely a new killer."

"Just an old method."

Another man greeted them as they got in the elevator, handing Bobby a file. "M.E. did a drive-by. It'll be a bit until we get confirmation on cause of death but the working theory is strangulation." If Sam hadn't been distracted with digging into the case file, he might've noticed the man's heavy Louisiana accent or the odd look he was getting.

"Sam, this is Benny LaFitte, he's a detective. Benny, this is Sam Wesson; he's an acquired taste."

Sam finished the file on their way up to the crime scene where they were greeted by another detective. “Vic is Samantha Ferris. Rich, unmarried, just my type,” joked a man about Bobby’s age.

“You’re a necrophiliac?” It came out without thinking; necrophilia was a more common phenomenon than most people realized so it wasn’t too out of bounds to think he might be. 

“What? No! Bobby, who-”

“Rufus, this is Sam Wesson. You two aren’t gonna like each other.”

Sam was already peeking around to get a look at the body, firmly in profiling mode. “Good to know. ‘Scuse me….” Kneeling at the body, he honed in on the evidence and let the scene come to life in his mind.

_ Broken champagne glass, lingerie…  _ “She was expecting a guest, a lover. But that’s not who showed up.”  _ Pupils dilated, bruising on the tongue….  _ “There was poison involved, injected. Strange, since there are much easier ways of incapacitating someone. You’d have to know what you were doing...probably someone with a medical background or at least a morbid interest in the field….”  _ Only one way to know for sure…. _

Sam reached a gloved hand and carefully displaced the hair on her shoulder, exposing the nape of her neck. Sure enough, just barely noticeable, tally marks. Three impossibly straight lines carved into the skin. 

Standing, he gave Bobby a small nod. “You’ll find an injection point under her left ear, that’s where the poison came in.”

“And you know that how?” Benny seemed skeptical, which really didn’t help Sam’s dampened mood. 

“The killer is a copycat. Specifically, The Hunter’s student. The tally marks on the back of her neck gave it away; that’s how he used to mark his victims.”

“And you know all about this Hunter guy?”

Sam huffed softly. “Yeah. Almost like he’s family.” He stormed out of the scene, putting the case file in Bobby’s hands with more force than was strictly necessary. He needed some air.

\--------

Sam Wesson stared at the New York skyline, pondering what this meant. Copycat killers were pretty standard, though their reasons could vary. Some were looking for notoriety, others just liked the style. Someone copying The Hunter, a killer that openly acknowledged he was looking to cause as much pain as possible, held more dangerous implications. Even more bothersome is which part of his exploits was being copied: The Quartet.

Before getting into his more famous kills, John had done some experiments, testing out the limits of his supplies at the hospital. His most well known was the Quartet in the early nineties, exploring how much pain the human body could endure. Only a true student of sadism would see the value in that. Sam really didn’t like where this was headed.

“You feelin’ okay?” Bobby stood next to him on the balcony.

Sam shrugged. “Got fired from the only job I was good at, came back to a home I’ve been avoiding for years, and now my serial killer dad has a copycat that I need to catch. Overall, could be worse.”

Bobby sighed. “I wouldn’t have brought you on but I needed to be sure. I’m still not sure where to start on a suspect list-”

“Which is why you need a profiler. And only I know The Hunter well enough to get an accurate read.”

“Something like that.”

Sam bit his lip. “There’s gonna be another victim. The killer is copying the Quartet and this is kill number three. We probably don’t have that long before the last kill.”

Bobby huffed. “Well, that’s just great. I already got the brass breathing down my neck about the lack of progress on this case and you’re telling me the killer isn’t done?”

Sam shrugged. “Unfortunately, yes. I’ll start on a profile tonight and tell you what I come up with tomorrow.”

“Alright. Don’t stay up too late though. You’ll be meeting the M.E. and...well let’s just say he’s a bit of a handful.”

“So am I but I’ve made it this far.” He laughed softly and pushed off the balcony railing. Something was still bugging him. “Bobby...this copycat…. I can’t go back to him.”

“And I wouldn’t ask you to. Hell, I’d love it if you never saw him again. I never knew what went on during those visits but you never came out of ‘em thinkin’ right.”

“I know. It’s unhealthy and I’m better off without him.” Somehow, those words didn’t feel as sincere as they should have. “I should get going. See you tomorrow?”

“Bright and early.”


End file.
